Quick Release for 8x10

I currently use a Gitzo 1570M head and Gitzo 1385 quick release to support my 8x10 Wisner. I am happy with the head, and get great support when I don't use the quick release. With the quick release, however, the camera shakes (rocks back-and-forth on the quick release) because the contact area between the plate and the camera is too small. I would like to go without the release, but I attaching that huge camera to the tripod head is difficult, and I am afraid I will fumble the camera someday if I don't use the release.<p>

Here is what I want from a quick release: a large contact area, not compromise on stability when using the release, a release that won't mar my camera's finish, and a release I can screw-in by hand (no hex screw). I don't want to leave the release permanently attached, because the rubber base of another quick release marred the finish of my 4x5 Wisner. The black color absorbed into the wood.<p>

So, what quick release should I get? Or do you have any tips on safely attaching a large camera to the head, so I can go without a quick release? I would rather not use a quick release, but I can just see my camera hitting the ground someday if I don't.

hi william,

one possibility for your gitzo 1570m would be to fix two quick

release behind each other and to use the lager adpter from gitzo for

that.

I have a Gandolfi 8x10 and I find it very easy to put in the 1570M,

my procedure is to tilt the pan head all the way forward and screw

the camera in. Takes me 1 minute to do, but if you are set on using a

quick release, I would use a Linhof, it has a bigger surface area

than the Gitzo and you can screw it to the camera with a hex key, it

will never move....:-)

I hope this helped.

Jorge,

<p>

Thanks, it is easy to attach the camera the way you describe (and

without a quick release). I always tried the mount the camera with the

head in a horizontal position.

machine your own quick release plate. I used 6061-T6 aluminum, which

should be soft enough to prevent marring and there's no paint to speak

of.

<p>

I had to make one for the Bogen 3030 pantilt head I used for my Sinar

F. While the Head itself is fine for supporting the camera, the flimsy

little quick release plate they give you doesn't mate to the very

bizarre Sinar tripod base, which has strange prongs and other things

sticking out which don't let it mate properly, let alone the fact that

generic plates let your 16" long camera spin around on the plate,

making the whole assembly precarious beyond belief.

<p>

Bogen uses 75-80 degree dovetails for their quick releases. I don't

know why they use such a steep dovetail.

<p>

<img src=http://www.nd.edu/~ekang/forum/base.jpg>

By your criteria, I'm not sure anybody makes a quick release with

that amount of surface area, or a non-hex wrench attachment. I can

tell you this howerver, the Linhof Quick-Fix II, the largest of the

Linhof units is the finest I have ever seen in terms of convenience

and stability. First, the Linhof units are not 'cast', but machined.

This gives you a level of precision that 'cast' units cannot achieve.

I use my #II unit on a twin-shank pro, Linhof tripod, and I have

friends who use the same unit on 8X10's. Also, the Linhof Quick-Fix II

unit is incredibly tight. Fixing this unit on a tripod with the long

member of the #II plate in parallel with your long axis of your view

camera should give you excellent stability. Everything is a

compromise in this arena. If you really want the ultimate camera

fixture, use the criteria that Ansel Adams gave me, over dinner in

1957 when he was in Honolulu to photograph the annual report for

Bishop National Bank. Over dinner he said to me.."The perfect tripod

is a cubic yard of solid concrete with a 1/4" X #20 bold head

sticking out of the top." (:-) Richard Boulware - Denver. P.S. Last

time I looked, B&H had a special, very discounted price on the Linhof

Quick-Fix II units.

There are 2 versions of the Quickfix 1 and II.

<p>

The current one has a silver release lever on top of the base

plate. The original version had a red lever on the bottom of the

base plate.

<p>

The original one will not mount to some Linhof tripods/heads

due to the position of the red lever and it would not sit flat if

placed on a table.

<p>

The current version eliminates these problems.

<p>

Camera plates from the original versions do not fit the current

ones without a slight modifiation.

<p>

Camera plates for the current version fit the original version as

well as the current version.

"will not mount to some Linhof tripods/heads"

<p>

Should read some non Linhof tripods/heads

Thanks everyone, but I don't need a quick release anymore. Jorge

solved my problem.

Mounting an 8x10 with a quick release may be a nice way to go but

can be a recipe for disaster. Was photographing with a friend a bit

ago & he had his 8x10 Deardorff mounted on a Bogen tripod head wiht

their damnable hex type quick release heads/plates. As he was walking

up a flight of stairs he readjusted the tripod on his shoulder &

apparently the quick release "double safe" lever caught on his jacket

somehow & we listened to the Deardorff bounce down 14 steps. They

sure are loud!

He has since bought a different head, one that simply screws in and

holds tight and the only way it will release by accident is if the

tripod screw breaks in two.

And the Deardorff??? It bounced down to the bottom of the landing &

was laying there as we ran up to check it. Groundglass intact, a few

dents in the wood, bellows OK and the camera still in alignment &

working fine. Sure did sound bad as it bounced all the way to the

bottom though, especially in an empty abandoned building where the

crashing reverberated throughout the building, seemingly forever.

I use a Bogen Heavy Duty 3057 head and quick release plate with my

Deardorff 8x10. It works very well. The quick release plate is square

and quite large, probably 3" x 3" or thereabouts. The head is heavy -

around 4 pounds as I recall. Kirk also makes a very large - probably

4" x 4" - plate that will fit on an Arca style head if you like ball

heads. I have the Kirk plate but no longer use it since I decided to

stop using ball heads with large format cameras. I used to use it

with a 4 x 5 camera and it worked particularly well because it's so

large that the camera could be moved forward and backwards in the

clamp to keep longer and shorter lenses centered over the tripod head.

Look at the Horseman quick release. I use one for my view cameras

and have no trouble with its stability. The camera plate is about

3.75 inches long by about 2.75 inches wide. It slides into the

tripod mounted receiver over spring loaded buttons so that the camera

cannot slide out. Then there is a lever that you move that pushes a

large circular plate in the receiver "up" which locks the camera

plate solidly into position. You screw the camera plates on by hand

as they have a large knob in the under side for this purpose.

William,

<p>

I realize your problem is solved, but for the benefit of others I

would like to add to Brian's post since I too use the Bogen 3057

heavy duty head (on the 3036/3236) with our Tachihara 3X 8x10, which

weighs about 12 lbs. Big and solid (nominally 4x4" 3297 plate, 4.4

lbs--whether w or w/o the plate I'm not sure), it has proved rock

steady for us. The plate attaches by inserting screw into camera's

threaded hole. Since both the locking lever and the safety lever

have to be operated in order to release the plate, the camera is

unlikely to be accidentally separated from the tripod. But of course

it is difficult for one person to handle so large and heavy a system,

and I consider a second pair of hands almost a necessity for both

mounting (which requires retraction of the locking lever) and

detaching the camera. (Another difficulty is presented by short

handles on the head's controls). But if steadiness, even at the

expense of weight and ease of operation, is what you're after, the

3057 is one good way to go. Good shooting, Nick.

I have a differ way of doing a quick release. I have a Wisner 8x10

and I have that on a Majestice head. I attatch the camera to the head

at the begining of the day's shooting when the head is on the tripod.

THEN after the first shoot I REMOVE the WHOLE HEAD AND CAMERA!! the

head fits on to a 1 7/8 aluminum support so I just loosen the head

and it all comes off. I then put the camer and head back in the

vehicle in a simple wooden cradle and go to the next location. I did

this to save wear and tear on the 1/4 inch thread and I also can

travel with the camera ready. I have two tripods with the the 1 7/8

top post one HEAVY and one medium. So this was my solution , I just

was NOT happy with doing the B.S. with those sloppy quick change

thingamabobs. SO why doesn't WISNER or on of the others address this

concern with a really good Quick Change. ALso the Majestic has a 4"

x6" head plate so that 8x10 is really on there steady!!